Review of the Sharp SL-C760

Labels, labels. I own both a Zaurus SL-C700 and a Softfield Agenda VR3, and would like to offer a different viewpoint.

If readers think about these machines with a different frame of mind they will probably come to a different conclusion. These devices trade varying amounts of portability and convenience for varying amounts of functionality. Some people are very seldom far away from a desktop computer, so they don't need a device like this. Some people have very simple technology requirements when they are away from a desktop computer, so they also don't need a device like this.

Isn't it annoying when someone releases technology that you don't personally need? No? I didn't think so either, but to read the parent post... :-)

Think about your own life, and the instances where it'd be fun, convenient, or otherwise good to have some kind of computing power available. There are some times in your life when you have a desktop computer available. There are some times when you can't easily get to a desktop machine, but a laptop would work well. There are yet more times when even a laptop wouldn't be appropriate, but something pocket-sized would be. (such as: situations where people might bump into you, so you need one hand to hold the unit; situations where a laptop creates too much light or blocks view, so it's inconsiderate to use a laptop; situations where nobody else around you has a laptop, and you don't want to draw attention to yourself)

Vrdeb rocks and all, but I really had no clue about how capable a PDA could be until I had the Zaurus. When I bought the Zaurus I hadn't even considered the *commuications* possibilities it opens up. I was still thinking about it in terms of things the Agenda can do, only with more screen space and more computing power.

Both at school and at work, my Zaurus is always on the home network, always VNCed to my home desktop. (I couldn't figure out how to do 802.11b or VNC on the Agenda. "Real PDA" is a higher standard for me.) So I take the Zaurus out of my pocket and hit the power button. The network card flashes for a few seconds as it scans channels looking for my network. Then the light stays on solid - and a few seconds later, my VNC display refreshes. I don't have to log in again. I run my desktop at 1024x768 and the Zaurus is 640x480, but I can quickly scroll around and see if I have email or IMs waiting, check on a server, or do other desktop-computer things. I can then just hit the power button again -- VNC tells the desktop computer to stop sending data but keep the connection open, then the network card goes dark, and a split second later the screen goes dark. Back in my pocket it goes.

My Zaurus has really opened my eyes. I thought the Agenda was a good PDA too, and was constantly playing with it. With the Zaurus, my expectations of a PDA have gone way up, and now I'm constantly *doing interesting/useful things* with it. There's vast mobile-computing project potential here I haven't even scratched the surface on. I'll have to explore that stuff, once I get bored with or no longer have a use for the things I'm using right now.

(Just because this machine *can* compile and run Nessus using nothing more than what fits in the SD and CF slots doesn't mean Zaurus users just sit there compiling software all the time. This is a *useful* machine. It just has some unusual capabilities, if you need them.)

--Michael Spencer

I don't know about the canon CF specifically or the C760 - but I had a great experience in a bar where a friend had taken some photos on his CF camera and just for shizz and grins we popped it into another friend's Zaurus. The Zaurus automatically detected the image files, opened a folder to them, and even was able to display them in a format optimized to fit on the the screen. This was on a Zaurus 5500 with the standard software install, but I would assume the same for you.

If the Canon CF format works in a typical CF reader...it will also work in the Zaurus.